Chapter 13

Question 1

social psychology

Answer 1

study of how people influence others’ behavior, beliefs, and attitudes

Question 2

need-to-belong theory

Answer 2

“When we’re deprived of social contact for a considerable length of time, we usually become lonely. According to psycholo-gists Roy Baumeister and Mark Leary’s (1995) need-to-belong theory, we humans have a bio-logically based need for interpersonal connections”

Question 3

social comparison theory

Answer 3

theory that states we seek to evaluate our abilities and beliefs by comparing them with those of others

Question 4

collective delusions

Answer 4

in which many people simultaneously become convinced of bizarre things that are false.

Question 5

urban legends

Answer 5

false stories repeated so many times that people believe them to be true

Question 6

social disruption

Answer 6

a worsening of performance in the presence of others occurs on tasks we find difficult.

Question 7

social facilitation

Answer 7

enhancement of performance brought about by the presence of others

Question 8

attribution

Answer 8

process of assigning causes to behavior

Question 9

fundamental attribution error

Answer 9

tendency to overestimate the impact of dispositional (a person’s inherent qualities of mind and characteR) influences on other people’s behavior

Question 10

dispositional influences

Answer 10

enduring characteristics, such as personality traits, attitudes, and intelligence

Question 11

situational influences

Answer 11

we attribute too little of peoples behavior to what’s going on around them.

Question 12

conformity

Answer 12

tendency of people to alter their behavior as a result of group pressure

Question 13

deindividuation

Answer 13

tendency of people to engage in uncharacteristic behavior when they are stripped of their usual identities”

Question 14

groupthink

Answer 14

emphasis on group unanimity at the expense of critical thinking

Question 15

viewpoint diversity

Answer 15

valuing a range of different perspectives

Question 16

group polarization

Answer 16

tendency of group discussion to strengthen the dominant positions held by individual group members

Question 17

cult

Answer 17

group of individuals who exhibit intense and unquestioning devotion to a single individual or cause

Question 18

Inoculation effect

Answer 18

approach to convincing people to change their minds about something by first introducing reasons why the perspective might be correct and then debunking these reasons

Question 19

obedience

Answer 19

adherence to instructions from those of higher authority

Question 20

conceptual replication

Answer 20

refers to a replication using a somewhat different method than used in the original study

Question 21

prosocial behavior

Answer 21

behavior intended to help others

Question 22

pluralistic ignorance

Answer 22

Error of assuming that no one in a group perceives things as we do

Question 23

diffusion of responsibility

Answer 23

reduction in feelings of personal responsibility in the presence of others

Question 24

enlightenment effect

Answer 24

learning about psychological research can change real-world behavior for the better

Question 25

social loafing

Answer 25

phenomenon whereby individuals become less productive in groups

Question 26

self-perception theory

Answer 26

theory that we acquire our attitudes by observing our behaviors

Question 27

aggression

Answer 27

behavior intended to harm others, either verbally or physically (or both)

Question 28

relational aggression

Answer 28

form of indirect aggression prevalent in girls, involving spreading rumors, gossiping, and using nonverbal putdowns for the purpose of social manipulation”

Question 29

self-monitoring

Answer 29

personality trait that assesses the extent to which people’s behavior reflects their true feelings and attitudes

Question 30

attitude

Answer 30

belief that includes an emotional component

Question 31

recognition heuristic

Answer 31

makes us more likely to believe something we’ve heard many times

Question 32

dissonance

Answer 32

•a tension or clash resulting from the combination of two disharmonious or unsuitable elements

Question 33

Cognitive dissonance

Answer 33

unpleasant mental experience of tension resulting from two conflicting thoughts or beliefs

Question 34

External Justification

Answer 34

is when we search around to find external justification for the tensions we are experiencing (cognitive dissonance). For example, believing it is all right to tell a harmless lie to avoid hurting a persons feelings. … It is when we change the direction of our statements, thus reducing dissonance.

Question 35

self-perception theory

Answer 35

heory that we acquire our attitudes by observing our behaviors

Question 36

impression management theory

Answer 36

theory that we don’t really change our attitudes, but report that we have so that our behaviors appear consistent with our attitudes

Question 37

dual process model (of persuasion)

Answer 37

the two alternative pathways in persuading others

1. central route(thinking of the information before thinking of making the decision
2. peripheral route (we look at surface aspects of thinking to make a decision)

Question 38

foot-in-the-door technique

Answer 38

persuasive technique involving making a small request before making a bigger one

Question 39

door-in-the-face technique

Answer 39

persuasive technique involving making an unreasonably large request before making the small request we’re hoping to have granted

Question 40

low-ball technique

Answer 40

persuasive technique in which the seller of a product starts by quoting a low sales price and then mentions all of the add-on costs once the customer has agreed to purchase the product

Question 41

“but you are free” technique

Answer 41

persuasive technique in which we convince someone to perform a favor for us by telling them that they are free not to do it

Question 42

prejudice

Answer 42

the drawing of negative conclusions about a person, group of people, or situation prior to evaluating the evidence

Question 43

implicit prejudice

Answer 43

unfounded negative belief of which we’re unaware regarding the characteristics of an out-group

Question 44

cognitive misers

Answer 44

we strive to conserve precious mental energy by simplifying reality.

Question 45

jigsaw classroom

Answer 45

educational approach designed to minimize prejudice by requiring all children to make independent contributions to a shared project

Question 46

adaptive conservatism

Answer 46

evolutionary principle that creates a predisposition toward distrusting anything or anyone unfamiliar or different”

Question 47

in-group bias

Answer 47

tendency to favor individuals within our group over those from outside our group

Question 48

out-group homogeneity

Answer 48

tendency to view all individuals outside our group as highly similar

Question 49

discrimination

Answer 49

negative behavior toward members of out-groups

Question 50

scapegoat hypothesis

Answer 50

claim that prejudice arises from a need to blame other groups for our misfortunes

Question 51

just-world hypothesis

Answer 51

claim that our attributions and behaviors are shaped by a deep-seated assumption that the world is fair and all things happen for a reason

Question 52

implicit prejudice

Answer 52

biases which we are unaware of

Question 53

explicit prejudice

Answer 53

unfounded negative belief of which we’re aware regarding the characteristics of an out-group

Question 54

jigsaw classroom

Answer 54

educational approach designed to minimize prejudice by requiring all children to make independent contributions to a shared project”